I recently posted a list of questions that I use as a litmus test when I start working to help an organization improve. The first of these questions was: If frontline leaders hit all their individual targets, would the company hit its goals? I ask this question to get a Read more…
You’ve received this email because you signed up for our newsletter at www.Velaction.com. Get Free Lean Leadership and Problem Solving Classes When You Buy the DVD Packs New (Free) Products: We’ve added to our Lessons of the Day curriculums, so there are even more ways to keep improving your Read more…
You’ve received this email because you signed up for our newsletter at www.Velaction.com. Get a free Lean Trivia Game w/ our Complete PPT Bundle. Plus, learn how to get $500 in floor marking materials for free. New Products: We’ve added a great new PowerPoint class that shows how a Read more…
One of the jobs of a Lean consultant is to assess organizations to see where they are in their continuous improvement journey. There are many techniques to get a precise read on a company, but a thorough assessment can take a significant amount of time. Fortunately, there is also a Read more…
Every morning, as I clean out the assortment of spam, scams, and general junk mail from my inbox, it strikes me that the senders seem to have a fairly strong understanding of Lean principles. Don’t mistake that comment for me saying that I approve in any way of what they Read more…
Remembering someone’s name tells them that you place value on them as an individual. It shows that you respect them enough to remember who they are. Unfortunately, many, if not most, people have an extremely hard time remembering names of people they see only periodically. In leadership or continuous improvement Read more…
A concrete head is someone who is resistant to the changes that Lean brings. Obviously, this is a derogatory term. The term “concrete head’ is the result of a translation from Japanese. In working with Japanese consultants, it appeared that the term was applied to individuals who displayed resistance, but Read more…
In accounting terms, an asset is an economic resource owned by a company or individual. Assets hold value because of the future benefit they can bring. An asset may fall into two categories—tangible and intangible. Tangible assets are what you would expect. Stuff you can touch—buildings, vehicles, machines, etc. Tangible Read more…
At its core, much of continuous improvement is about problem solving. Tools such as Standard Work, policy deployment, kanbans, and andons are all really just pre-packaged solutions to common problems. Despite that focus on resolving issues, few people have well-developed problem solving skills. This holds true even in companies that Read more…